Sisters of Isis: Volume 1

by Lynne Ewing

  She stiffened.

  “Why are you so nervous?” he asked, grinning at her jumpiness. “I thought you liked me.”

  “As a friend.” Meri tried to slip away from him.

  He leaned down and nuzzled her neck.

  “Jeff!” someone shouted.

  Suddenly, Sudi was there, forcing herself between them, her hips slinking against Jeff, making him drop his hold on Meri.

  “You promised you’d dance with me,” Sudi said with a flirty smile and purposefully stretched her arms, letting her lacy top and camisole rise in a tease that gave Jeff a peek at her flat stomach and hip bones.

  Scott stood nearby, watching Sudi. He placed a comforting arm around Meri and spoke into her ear. “Sudi said we had to rescue you,” he said. “Was she right?”

  “Yes.” Meri let out a long sigh. From the corner of her eye, she caught a blur of pink. Michelle was marching toward Scott.

  Sudi grabbed Michelle’s arm before she could latch on to Scott. “Michelle’s been dying to hook up with you,” she said to Jeff. Spinning around, she playfully shoved Michelle into Jeff’s arms.

  Michelle glared at Sudi, then smiled up at Jeff and fanned her face with her hands. “It’s too hot. I think I need to get a drink.” She disappeared again.

  Sudi pulled Meri over to the far wall. “Don’t let a guy stampede you into doing more than you’re ready to do,” Sudi scolded. “You’ll be sorry if you do.”

  “How did you know I was uncomfortable?” Meri asked.

  “I know who your crush is. Even though Jeff thinks he’s it, I know he’s not,” Sudi answered.

  “You know?” Meri asked.

  “Like Dalila and I haven’t figured out that you’re totally crushing on Abdel,” Sudi said. “We were just waiting for you to say something.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me I was being so obvious?” Meri ran her fingers through her hair. Then another thought came to her, and she felt ashamed and foolish. “Abdel must think I’m a total loser. I’ll never be able to face him again.”

  “Yes, you will, and you’ll get your kiss, too,” Sudi answered confidently. “Come on, dance with us.”

  Sudi and Scott tried to pull Meri on to the dance floor, but she eased back against the wall. She stared at the floor and started to zone with all the other rejects lined up beside her. If Abdel did know, then why hadn’t he said something to her?

  The music stopped abruptly, and she glanced up.

  Michelle walked across the stage and tapped the mike. Feedback screeched across the room, and everyone covered their ears.

  “Meri Stark has wanted to sing since she got here, but she’s just too shy to take the stage on her own,” Michelle yelled.

  Meri’s eyes widened. She gazed at Michelle, unable to believe what she was doing.

  Everyone standing near Meri turned and looked at her, with huge, silly smiles.

  “Let’s give it up for Meri,” Michelle squealed and began clapping.

  Kids whistled and hooted. Hands were everywhere, pushing, pulling, prodding her toward the stage.

  “Let’s see you handle this,” Michelle said as she handed Meri the mike.

  “Michelle, you’re going to feel worse if you make me sing,” Meri warned. “You don’t want to do this.”

  “Please,” Michelle answered. “Why would I feel bad if you make a fool of yourself? Pick out your song.”

  Meri scrolled through the list, then punched in the numbers for a ballad she had sung back in California. She’d never told anyone that she’d been in a girl band. They’d even recorded a demo, Bust My Heart, which had been a hit on the local radio stations until her mother’s campaign advisers had decided that it wasn’t decent for the daughter of a presidential hopeful to sing about lust.

  The music started. Pounding drums shook the walls, marking out the beat. Meri could feel the tension rising in the audience.

  Michelle stood next to Brian. The two of them snickered and made faces.

  Sudi held up her hands to show Meri her crossed fingers.

  Meri closed her eyes and belted out the first note. The purity of the tone rose in the room. She finished singing the first few lines and looked at the crowd. Kids started dancing. Others edged closer to the stage and gazed up at her.

  Slowly, she scanned the crowd. She loved to perform.

  Then she saw Abdel and her heart took on a quicker rhythm.

  He stood alone in the middle of the dancers, watching her. He wore a crazy porkpie hat that was different from his usual conservative style, and a slouchy gray coat that made her want to laugh. She wondered if he had dressed that way for her.

  For the first time since she’d met him, his expression was unguarded, and she recognized the longing in his gaze; she had seen it on other faces when she performed.

  Maybe he did like her.

  She sang in a soft, low voice, crooning about love, and imagined his arms around her.

  Gradually, she became aware that others were looking in the direction of her gaze. She had been so infatuated with Abdel that she had forgotten her audience. She pulled her mind back to her performance, but in her nervousness, she forgot the lyrics. That had never happened before. She stammered and foolishly tried to fill in with la-la-las.

  Brian laughed, and Michelle grinned triumphantly.

  Meri hummed, distraught, and felt the heat of a blush rising to her cheeks. She looked down at the prompter, but she couldn’t find her place, and when she thought she had, she sang the wrong words.

  She set the mike in its stand and ran off the stage.

  Kids clapped, stamped their feet, and yelled out their praise, some calling for her to come back and sing more. But she felt woozy from nerves and leaned against the wall, afraid that if she didn’t hold on to something, she’d lose her balance and fall.

  Dalila and Sudi joined her “Why did you run off the stage?” Sudi asked. “You have an incredible voice.”

  “Everyone loved your singing,” Dalila agreed, hugging her. “You should go back and sing another song.”

  Meri shook her head. “I think I’d better go home.”

  “Abdel came here for a reason,” Sudi said, seeming to read her mind.

  “Yeah,” Meri said. “He came here to check out The Jackal.” She pressed her fingers over her eyes. “I can’t believe I made such a fool of myself in front of everyone.”

  “He came here to see you,” Dalila reassured her. “Ask him to dance. He’s probably as shy as you are.”

  “Maybe you’ll get your first kiss,” Sudi teased and nudged Meri playfully.

  “I’ll show you my secret for regaining composure.” Dalila took Meri’s hand and forced the fingers into a fist. “Now, tap on your breastbone, smile, and think of someone you love.”

  “You’re not serious,” Meri said.

  “I warned you that you’d laugh at me if I shared one of my secrets with you,” Dalila said. “It’s called the thymus thump, and it’s been proven to revitalize your energy. Say ‘ha-ha-ha’ with each tap.”

  Meri shrugged, then stroked her breastbone with quick, light blows, feeling foolish as she recited the “ha-ha-ha.” But she did feel better.

  “It works,” she said, startled.

  “Now, go,” Sudi said, pushing her onto the jammed dance floor.

  Kids smiled at Meri and complimented her singing as she squeezed between them.

  Then she saw Abdel, and her heart dropped.

  He was dancing with Michelle.

  Michelle caught Meri’s gaze and smiled wickedly as she worked her fingers over Abdel’s shoulders. Then she raised one eyebrow and mouthed the word mine.

  After that, she pulled his head down toward hers and closed her eyes, parting her lips in anticipation.

  Meri wasn’t going to watch Michelle steal the kiss that should have been her own. She elbowed past the dancers, frantic to leave, and rushed outside before anyone could see her tears.

  She charged down the sidewalk, expecting the po
p of a paparazzi flash to blind her.

  When nothing happened, she kicked off her sandals and ran wildly, her feet slapping against the cold concrete. She let her tears come.

  A car engine started.

  She glanced over her shoulder. She couldn’t bear to have photographers stalking her. She darted across the street and hid in an alley, behind some empty mango and pear crates.

  An SUV rolled past her. Thimble sat in the driver’s seat, one hand on the steering wheel, the other holding his camera, ready to shoot.

  When the car turned at the corner, she started jogging again, ignoring the stares of people watching her through restaurant windows.

  She had gone only a few blocks when lightning streaked across the sky. Moments later, a thunderclap shattered the night. The boom reverberated down the street, setting off car alarms.

  Clouds formed, billowing and growing with uncanny speed, and soon the rain came, splashing into puddles left over from the last storm.

  As she neared her house, the night took on a sinister feel. She quickened her pace, wanting nothing more than to be home, cuddled in bed with a glass of milk and a handful of cookies, reading and—

  Something moved in the deeper shadows near the house just ahead.

  Fear swept through her.

  Instinct told her to run, but when she looked again, she saw nothing in the gloomy night that should have made her feel so afraid.

  Wind whipped through the trees, lashing branches back and forth, and making gray shadows swirl.

  Maybe a photographer was stealthily following her, hoping to get a picture of her running in the rain, barefoot, wet, and shivering in her skimpy California clothes.

  But fear also made her senses sharper; if someone were stalking her, surely she’d have been able to hear him prowling through the wet shrubs and grass. She paused and tilted her head, concentrating, but the rain hid any noise someone trailing her might have made.

  Even so, her feeling of danger did not go away.

  Cautiously, she stepped backward. Her ability to change into a cat had also given her the feline instincts to sense a predator.

  Something brushed against her leg. She cried out and turned, ready to fight.

  Three cats wagged their tails, their fur drenched and clinging to their thin, trembling bodies.

  She fell to her knees, and by an odd telepathy, sensed their rising terror.

  “What is it?” she asked, knowing they couldn’t understand her question.

  And then, with a shock that made adrenaline race through her blood, she knew that an ancient evil had been slinking after her and hiding in the shadows near the houses.

  The cats had seen the twisting snake and had come to warn her.

  “Apep?” she whispered. No sooner had the name come into her mind than the cats scurried away, bellies low to the ground in fear.

  At the same moment the stormy night filled with the scent of cucumbers and mold.

  Meri stood and stepped between two cars parked near the curb. Runoff waters rushed over her feet. She willed her body to change, but not all the way. Whiskers prickled through her cheeks. Then, in a burst, her feline vision came.

  The demon Apep swept toward her, leaving a trail of greenish foam in his wake. The snake had become larger; he was the size of an anaconda that could easily wrap around her chest and squeeze until she couldn’t draw a breath.

  The serpent opened his mouth, fangs exposed, tongue flickering, and shrieked as lightning seared across the night.

  Apep flailed his tail, coiling eagerly toward her at a speed that seemed impossible.

  She froze, trying to decide what to do. She couldn’t outrun the creature as she was, but if she changed into a cat, she could climb a tree and flee across the rooftops.

  Still watching Apep, she backed into the street and began reciting the incantation to change. She stepped onto the next curb.

  Apep followed her. The sound of his scales scraping over the pavement became louder than the pounding rain, the rhythm quicker.

  Meri concentrated and intoned the spell again. She moved on to her neighbor’s lawn, near a tree. Her clothing disappeared, and she stood naked in the rain before black fur covered her.

  The muscles in her back quivered; she began to shrink. When she was able to open her cat eyes, Apep was only two feet away, his fetid breath steaming around her.

  The snake struck.

  She jumped to one side and hissed.

  The serpent’s fangs caught in the wet ground. It furiously thrashed about, trying to break free from the mud.

  Meri scrambled up the tree and crouched. She scanned the lawn below. Leaves and branches waved in front of her, making it impossible to see clearly. Still, she should have seen some trace of the snake. Where had he gone?

  The tree swayed, and at first she thought the wind had made the movement. Then she looked down. The reptile had curled himself around the trunk and was spiraling toward her, his lurid green eyes hungry and focused on her.

  Her heart pounded fiercely. She leapt to the roof of the nearby house, but rain had made the pitched slope slick and she slid backward, catching herself in the rain gutter.

  Wind lashed around her. She struggled to keep her balance.

  A flash of lightning startled her.

  She lost her grip and fell, twisting and turning, to land on her paws. She hit the soggy ground, then shot off and raced down the street as Apep uncurled himself from the tree.

  Thunder rumbled around her, making her ears ache. She sped to her front porch and desperately tried to change back into a girl. She sensed that Apep wouldn’t be able to follow her inside.

  She concentrated. Her bones ached, and her tendons quivered, but she remained a cat.

  The sickening smell of Apep filled the air. The hair on her back rose in little spikes.

  She turned and faced the demon. As she tried to decide whether to fight or try to outrun it again, someone picked her up.

  She hissed and clawed, thrashing about, struggling to break free.

  Whoever held her petted her, trying to calm her. She could feel the transformation starting, becoming stronger than her ability to hold it back. She couldn’t let the person holding her witness her change.

  She twisted violently as her bones began to stretch. Her fur dissolved, and slick, wet skin grew around her hands and arms. She had transformed.

  The night spun dizzily around her.

  The person holding her caught her before she fell.

  Unexpectedly, Apep bellowed and turned away, but the hands holding Meri didn’t let go.

  Anyone but a cult member would have fainted or screamed when she changed. Apep hadn’t been trying to capture her after all. The ancient demon had been chasing her toward the cult member waiting for her at home.

  Defeated, Meri turned to face her captor.

  The cloudburst ended, and the night filled with the sound of gushing water. Rooftops and trees shed the downpour, filling drainpipes and gutters. The lush fragrance of wet earth and grass scented the air but Meri still tasted fear.

  “At least let me see your face,” she grumbled and kicked. Her bare foot brushed over a pant leg and hit the porch step, jamming her toes. Pain shot up her leg.

  “Soul of Egypt,” a voice soothed. “Why are you still fighting me?” The hands released her.

  Meri looked up and gasped. Abdel stared down at her. She had been rescued, not captured.

  “You saved me,” she said. Tension drained from her arms and legs, leaving her light-headed and weak. “How did you make Apep leave?”

  “The demon’s not yet strong enough to fight us both,” he replied, “but soon he will be.”

  “Us?” Meri gazed up at him. “You did it. I couldn’t—”

  Abdel placed the tips of his fingers on her lips to quiet her. “You didn’t need me,” he explained. “You would have won this encounter.”

  “I doubt it,” Meri said and started to shiver.

  Abdel placed his hands o
n her shoulders. With a start she realized he was touching bare skin. Terror had consumed her, and she hadn’t noticed that her lacy tunic and bra hadn’t made the transition with her. She quickly crossed her arms over her chest.

  She felt hot tears of embarrassment sting her eyes.

  Abdel took off his coat and slipped it over her shoulders.

  “I can’t believe you saw me,” she said, shaking her head.

  “You’re beautiful,” he whispered and tentatively placed his hands around her face. “Why did you leave the party?”

  She stared into his eyes. How could she tell him that she had been jealous of Michelle?

  “I wish you had stayed,” he whispered. “I wanted to dance with you.”

  Her mouth opened, but her brain couldn’t find the words to speak.

  “I think I know why you left,” he said.

  “You do?” she asked.

  “You saw me with Michelle,” he answered.

  Meri felt her heart drop.

  “Michelle kissed me, but I didn’t kiss her,” he said. “I pulled away from her, but then you were gone. She was trying to make you jealous.”

  “If you knew that, then why did you dance with her?” Meri asked.

  Abdel hesitated. “I saw you with someone,” he confessed. “Michelle said his name was Jeff and that you liked him.”

  “I don’t,” Meri protested. “Michelle just wants to make my life miserable.”

  Abdel leaned down, his lips close to hers. Her heart raced with excitement.

  She held her face up to his, anticipating his touch.

  But then he hesitated, inches from her mouth.

  Her mind whirled. Did he expect her to give him permission? She didn’t know. All her friends had kissed guys, some had done more, but Meri had never asked for the details. Now she wished she had.

  “It’s okay,” she whispered in a jagged voice, feeling suddenly too dizzy to stand.

  He pulled back. “What is okay?”

  “Kiss me before I faint,” she said. Her heart lurched and skipped a beat.

  He smiled. Then he closed his eyes and pressed his lips to hers.

  She sighed, and her eyes widened. She wanted to remember everything about this kiss; the gentle ache of longing for him, the loving caress of his fingers on her temples and cheeks.